Truce

Ever since Maya came into my life, it has been a struggle.  I saw her as an unwelcome intruder and I fought her, both physically and psycologically from day one.  Once she grew out of the undeniably cute puppy stage it was a battle, every single day.

Naturally, this caused major problems between Drew and me.  He wanted this dog and fought me just as hard as I fought him.  There were puh-LEN-ty of times that we nearly split up because of the dog. 

To this day we still have problems - because the dog is his baby I feel that he is far too indulgent with her.  Only now that her size is inconvenient for him is he interested in training her to behave - now that she's ten months old and bad behavior is that much more difficult to rehabilitate.  I am absolutely resentful of that.  I didn't feel he heard me when I told him I didn't want to walk her because she was pulling me around.  But now that she's pulling HIM around, now we should look into training her.  That is one bitter pill to swallow, I assure you.  I tell him that rough playing shouldn't be encouraged because as she gets bigger and when there are children in the house, she won't understand "Okay, now you have to stop.  Never mind that you've been behaving this way since you were born."  However, since the admonishments come out of my mouth, I'm just trying to tell him what to do and boss him around.  *rolls eyes*

The only positive thing about this is that these are very good training grounds for calm, adult discussions regarding child-rearing, because I can already tell that I'm going to have to be 'mean mommy' and he'll get to be 'nice daddy.'  I'm nowhere near good at it because I can feel Drew's contempt for what I've learned through my research.  Add that to his natural impatience when things don't go right the first time and I just get pissed off and I don't even want to talk anymore.  You can't do that - not with dogs, kids, or your husband.  No matter how frustrated you get, you have to find a way to keep lines of communication open.  No matter what - you owe it to yourself and your family.

So, I haven't given up.  Not on the dog or Drew and I decided to take down the wall of hate that I had toward the dog.  I always fed her, kept her clean and warm, taught her a couple of tricks, but she never had my genuine affection and I think she knew it.  Being an avid fan of The Dog Whisperer, I took to heart Cesar Millan's philosophy regarding energy and how dogs are super-sensitive to it and will react to energy sooner than anything else.  It makes sense to me and I bought a couple of his books and set about changing my energy.

Maya and I had a breakthrough a couple of weeks ago.  Actually, I let down some walls and let her come in.  I was sitting on the couch, eating.  I had taught her not to come near me when I was eating and she does really well with that.  It took several tries but now she keeps a respectful distance from me when I'm eating on the sofa, even going so far as to ignore me when when I've got a plate of food in my hand.  That night, I had finished my meal and as if on cue, she hopped up on the sofa and fell onto my lap between me and the arm of the sofa.  She snuggled in and promptly fell asleep.  We sat there, her sleeping, me petting her, and something happened. 

I like to think our energies made an agreement.  We connected and I didn't have that hate in my heart anymore.  I took a picture of us with my phone and sent it to Drew but it didn't really capture the moment.  She stirred, opened her eyes and changed position, and then fell back to sleep.  Then she started snoring like a freight train - I laughed, but not too hard or loud so I wouldn't wake her.  We sat like that for over an hour while I watched DVR episodes of Dancing With the Stars.  It was a great moment and I needed it.

Drew and I had a moment as well.  We were having an honest discussion about the dog where he admitted to me that he was in over his head.  That he underestimated how much work a dog was.  Hearing him say those words to me was such a relief, I felt that he finally understood why I was so upset.  I felt I took the commitment of dog-ownership far more seriously than he did and I didn't even want the dog!  I realized that there were times where he too was doubting and hearing him acknowledge that was so major to me.

We're doing better - we've gotten a harness for her that makes walking her fun, so now I don't shirk my duties.  She's getting more training while we're gone over Christmas and I learn something new every day from my Cesar Millan books.  I still don't like going on walks with Drew because our energies regarding the dog are still too different, but I have hope that one day soon we'll be able to walk as a happy, balanced 'pack.'

Sunday we had a really good day in the field near the house. 

Strapped in on the car ride over.  She's too big to sit on my lap anymore.

She has yet to grasp the whole 'you have to drop the ball so I can throw it again' thing.

I'm telling myself that it's okay that her collar and harness don't match.  Even though it really bothers me.  I'm trying to refrain from running out and buying a red collar so I'll feel better.

Seeing Maya run full-out, jump in the puddles, chase the tennis balls and explore everything within sniffing distance was heartwarming.  She was joy personified - that's why people love dogs.  I get that.

Kristin Stewart can't act

That is, unless the director of the movie told her to say every one of her lines with as little emotion as possible, even the lines where you're really really upset.  In that case, she can totally act.  She should get an Oscar.

Yes, we saw New Moon Friday night.  I'm a grown woman and I've read all four books and I don't care who knows it. 

Guess what my totally wonderful fabulous husband did?  We were chatting on gmail and I was telling him that I was really bummed that I didn't have a New Moon t-shirt to wear to the movie - I even blogged about it, that's how lame I am.  Well, he went and got me one!!!!!  How awesome is that!  He wasn't home when I got there but my t-shirt was!

I was cheesing like a weirdo because I couldn't get over how sweet Drew was!  And those are my ass jeans that I must once again hang in the back of the closet.  At least I got one day.

Drew's werewolf impression.  We're going to go ahead and leave it to Jacob, mmmkay?

We knew the theater would be crazy but it was suuuuuuuper crazy.  They had been showing the movie every hour since 10am so there were little tweens running around everywhere.  The theater was packed and randomly little girls would scream out "I LOVE YOU EDWARD" or "TEAM JACOB!!!"  That may have been me.

All the little girls started screaming when the lights went down and I was going to be really annoyed if they screamed through the whole movie, but when it actually started you could have heard a pin drop.  I think they were all holding their breath for the entire film.  Now, of course when Jacob took off his shirt for the first time, they all went nuts.  Not me though.  There was absolutely no uncontrollable giggling on my part.  Nope - no fanning my face, no punch in the ribs from my husband.  None of that.

Now, I know that this film is not an example of cinematic brilliance but damn!  Seriously, Kristin Stewart cannot act!  Even by my generous tween-movie-standards.  She's really bad!!  There was no emotion in her eyes, zero.  I don't think she made eye contact with any of her co-stars; all her lines were delivered somewhere in the vicinity of the other person's chest or their left shoe.  That part was unbearable.

The wolves were awesome though!  I wanted a whole movie of just them!  The fight scene between Edward and the Volturi was kind of cool too, but then DeadEyes Stewart had to come in and mess it up.  It's like she got attacked with Botox right before filming. 

It was a fun experience, but being in the movie theater with all those little kids made me feel kind of old.  I was glad when our friend Tyler called us after the movie to join him and his girlfriend for drinks.  I needed some adult activity after all that.

I'm still totally Team Jacob.  At least he showed some emotion - hot-blooded wolves are all about emotion.  And being shirtless - that's why wolves are better.

I will not be defeated!

I'm not giving up on my hair - or what's left of it after the hairball from Hell.  I went back to Teri's site and reviewed all of her recommended combing conditioners with the hopes that by getting one of them I would forever avoid such massive shedding.  But first, a somewhat better picture of what I'm working with.  I just went through all the pictures on my computer and I don't have one current picture of my hair!  I'm fixing that this weekend.

Even this one was from last summer.

On my lunch break I went to the CVS in my building.  There's practically a city down there!  Plus, they have all kinds of vendors come through selling all kinds of random stuff.  Today they were set up selling sheet sets.  Whatevs.

The stars were aligned for me today because four of the five recommended combing conditioners were on sale!  $2.88 each!  AND I got paid today!  Hollaaaa!

I took this picture at my desk.  I have nothing to do during the day.

I also picked up some 99 cent shampoo and conditioner for washing and rinsing, which is much different from combing, which you leave in.  This curly hair business is no joke!  However, the shampoo is not recommended so I have to find a different shampoo - although I feel okay about a 99 cent mistake.  Maybe I can use it as body wash; chemically I don't think they're that different.

I'm going to wash my hair again tomorrow and use a different comb and see how that works.  I was seriously spooked by that giant hairball!

In other totally awesome news, I can fit in my ass jeans!  I haven't been able to wear these jeans for well over a year now and they've just hung in my closet, mocking me.  Back in the day I loved wearing them because they made my booty look a-ma-zing!  Alas, Drew's gourmet cooking banished them to the back of the closet.  All the grief and stress and the non-eating from the grief and stress has brought them back out of hiding and I could get them on this morning!  Yes, they are a smidge tight - okay, they have left indentations on my legs and I'm trying not to bend my legs too much for fear that the knees will split open, but they're ON dammit!  I'm counting it!

I'm sure that once my eating returns to normal, whatever that is, I will have to once again banish them to the back of the closet but today, TODAY, I'm wearing my ass jeans!  I tried to take a picture in the bathroom at the office but I couldn't get a good angle and I was nervous that someone would walk in and wonder why I was taking a picture of my ass. 

But I know you've all had that feeling - putting on those jeans that you'd resigned yourself to never wearing again.  It's pretty awesome and I don't care that grief weight is the only reason why I can wear them.  I'm taking the sunshine moments wherever I can get them because they're still a little scarce these days.

ALSO!!!  We're totally going to see New Moon tonight!  I bought the tickets yesterday and I can't wait!  The theater we're going to has been showing it every hour since 10am - isn't that crazy!  Yesterday a bunch of the evening showtimes had already sold out so I'm really glad we were able to get tickets for a decent hour.  I'm actually kind of bummed that I don't have a New Moon t-shirt to wear tonight.  If I did, it would look like this:

Even though he's assed-out at the end, I still have a soft spot for Jacob. I tell Drew he's my werewolf because he's got a hairy chest and I like to snuggle against his always-warm body. *gagchokevomit* Sorry bout that.

Hydralicious: Not awesome

I've worn my hair natural since January and I'm really happy with it.  I've scoured websites and blogs and have finally figured out what to do with my hair and it's longer than it's ever been and I'm loving it!

Ignore my Shakespeare impression and notice the length of the curly hair.  I was at Drew's conference and I was playing with one of his models.

That's the product he was telling the doctors about at the conference.  We'd gone for dinner and wine.  Lots of wine.

ANYWAY, I like to try new conditioners and so far I've been quite lucky with the shedding.  I don't comb my hair every day - you can't with curly hair unless you want a giant frizz ball.  I only comb it in the shower when it's soaking wet and filled with conditioner.  Yes, I'm the hair-on-the-shower-wall girl because if I let all that hair go down the drain Drew would kill me.  When we first started dating and he saw my shower routine, he was flabbergasted.  Bless his heart, he didn't know about Brown girls and their curly hair - he has since gotten quite educated.  He was the first person to hear about every little thing I learned, like it or not.  I'm so glad Kesha is natural now and I'm sure Drew is glad too - I no longer make him want to poke his eyes out when I gush over new products.

Dude, I am so ADD right now!  I'm talking about conditioners and I'm just all over the place talking about his conference and shower routines.  Back on topic!

BOO HISS!!!!

I generally like Herbal Essence conditioners and this is the new brand so I thought I'd give it a go.  The first time was okay - I had a little bit more shedding than usual but I attributed it to going a long time between washings.  I washed my hair last night after yoga and was shocked, shocked I tell you, at the amount of hair that was coming out!  I half expected some bald spots!  I'll refrain from showing you the hair ball.....no I won't.

Again, I apologize for being an amateur and not taking the hairball out of the trash and holding it in my hand for a more acceptable blog photo.  Maybe I'll go home tonight, take another picture and fix it tomorrow.  Maybe I won't - I believe in truth and authenticity and sometimes the truth is dirty!  DIRTY! 

Although there isn't anything too terribly bad in the garbage.  I don't think.  Anyway, that hairball was HUGE!  Obscene!  Scary!  I'm honestly surprised I still have hair.

The moral of this story is:  Hydralicious.  No bueno.  Nevah again.  Going in the trash right next to the hairball from Hell.

In a mood

I'm having one of those days where it would be better for everyone else if I could just lock myself in a cozy room and not come out until I feel normal again.  I'm annoyed at everything.  The job, the husband, the family and I'm having obnoxiously painful back spasms; amazingly, the one thing that's not annoying me right now is the dog, can you believe that?  We actually had a major bonding moment Saturday night and for right now, she and I are good.

I'm writing in my journal because some things are too specific to put online (I'd prefer not to get fired today) and hopefully I'll be back to my normal self in a couple of days.  Until then, it's journal time for me! 

Here's hoping your day is going better than mine!  No sense in more than one of us is being miserable and I've already taken that spot so go outside and breathe in some nature or something.  Do it for me - I'm chained to my desk.

I'm so weak

One of the sites I regularly check is Young House Love.  And when I say regularly, I'm actually saying I go there no fewer than three times a day to see if they've put up new posts and roughly three more times after that to sift through their archives.  I don't have a problem - I'm researching. 

Anyway, their giving thanks post is what drove me to break my no-online shopping rule and order something - online.  I love love love words - duh, I love to read and I write a blog.  But even in a decorating sense, I really love words.  Vintage posters are my favorite kind of art, especially ones in other languages.

The one on the left is a super popular poster that I'm sure lots of people have seen; the one on the right is one I grabbed off google for illustration.  Our coasters that we got in France are vintage replicas and I love them.

I wanted to paint words all over one of my walls in my old apartment (in French and it wouldn't even be ironic because I actually SPEAK French) but I chickened out.  I didn't have faith in the erasive (it's not a word but it works) power of paint. 

I knew I wanted words somewhere in our house but I didn't know what or where.  Seeing YHL's post, then going to wallquotes.com and being in my buying frenzy was what you might call a perfect storm.

I looked through all their wall quotes, even looking at the ones in different languages.  I originally thought about something for the kitchen, but then I saw it.  It stopped me, took me over and before I knew it I had placed my online order and paid for the shipping.  That decorating/mothering energy is powerful, y'all!

Drew got back in town last night and my box was there!  I had called them a couple of times (okay, four) because I wanted to know where it was - I have online shopping trust issues.  But it arrived intact and I immediately enlisted Drew's help in hanging it.  He's so sweet - although once it was up he said our bedroom looks like a sorority house now.  Apparently, me and the Delta Delta Deltas have awesome taste.  HA!

What do you think?

I love it so much and it means so much to me given where we are in our relationship.  I know it's just a sticker on a wall but the words really matter and I love its simplicity.  I told Drew that the next time he's being dumb with me I'm not going to say anything and I'm just going to point at the wall. 

"What about when you're being dumb?"

*rolls eyes* "Baby, I'm perfect." :-p

Everything is easier with wine

Before I went to the tattoo shop Friday night, I went to West Elm to get floating shelves for my picture wall.  They were on sale online but I wanted them NOW.  I called the store and they had some so again, I had them put them aside for me so I could pick them up after work.  Now how 'bout this?  Online they were on sale for $34.99 but in the store they were $29.99! Inconceivable!  Not only would I have had to pay a higher price online but I would have had to pay shipping too!  I hate shipping!  It is the main reason I almost always refuse to shop online - shipping can sometimes be a third of the purchase price!  So I was suuuuper happy to buy them at the store.

Shelves in tow, I went to get my tattoo, then I headed home and had a nice dinner outside with Drew where he drank too much wine and ended up falling asleep on the sofa.  He'd traveled the whole week prior and and was worn out! 

I rather like them both when they're like this.  Why can't they just stay this way?

Saturday morning I got up early to go to yoga and bruch with Kesha and Velia.  Sweet husband that he is, Drew offered to hang my shelves while I was gone.  Awwww - I was going to get to go to yoga, have lunch with my friends and come home to new shelves!  Not bad for a Saturday morning!  Instead I came home to this.

Those are the 'oops' holes from his two attempts to hang the top shelf.  The holes were HUGE and Drew was PISSED.  Not only did his twenty-minute nice gesture turn into a five hour chore complete with two undesired trips to Lowe's, now we had giant snake bites in our pretty wall!  He'd had a bunch of his own stuff planned for the day, all of which got pushed back because of that one shelf.  AND he resented me because I was off getting bendy and stuffing my belly while he was sweating and swearing.  Poor kid.

We had to leave it because we had David's birthday party to go to, but Sunday morning he was back at it. 

I offered moral support and encouragement while I photo-documented his efforts.

He finally got the second shelf up - look at those sexy legs, I mean uh, shelves.  Sometimes he distracts me.

Once he made sure the second shelf was up and secure, he took it back down so he could fix the oops holes.  Thank God we had all the stuff for that - another trip to Lowe's would have been disastrous.

That was Monday and he went out of town Tuesday morning.  I was far too impatient to wait for him to get back to finish the job so I did the rest myself.  I was very nervous that I would mess things up and make the wall look worse than before, so I brought in some assistance.

They don't call it liquid courage for nothing.

The lady that lived in the house before us worked for Sherwin Williams and kindly left all the paint when they moved so thankfully I didn't have to worry about matching colors.  It was a gigantic pain the ass to get the lid off the tub but with a couple of swigs of wine and some colorful curse words I was able to get it off.

Way too impatient for drop cloths.  Drop cloths are for sissies.

Since the holes were really big and really deep I had to do another coat of the spackle because I learned from my chair re-do!!  If you can still see the holes, paint won't hide it!  I had a congratulatory glass of wine for remembering that one!  Once the spackle dried, I sprayed the pebble texture stuff to match the rest of the wall.

With that done, I got ready to paint.  Drew had gotten touch up rollers for something and didn't end up using them - score!  I just love it when everything I need is already on hand!

Maya came to investigate.  I thought she was just checking it out - I should have known better.  As soon as she realized that the roller was soft she made off with it.  Thank God I had another one.

Punk-ass dog.

After some more wine because I was so annoyed with that dog (or maybe just 'cause I wanted some more), I started painting.  I positively squealed when the paint went on and you couldn't see the holes or the spackle or anything!  I did it right!  It was looking good!  That called for some more wine.

This may not look like much to you, but that's because I did such a good job covering up the oops holes and painting and I'm proud of myself!

Last night Kesha came over to hang out and watch X-Men WOLVERINE!!! with me and I hung my shelf!  I pulled some stuff from around the house so it's definitley a work in progress but I'm soooo happy with it!

A before pic for reference.

Yea for the picture wall!!  It's nowhere near where I want it to be - I'm thinking big frames with giant mats but that will come.  Drew and I had talked about pulling the sofa off the wall and putting it at an angle and when Kesha totally agreed, we did and I'm just loving it!  OH YEAH, what do you spy on the top shelf?  That would be our MARRIAGE LICENSE!  Score one for the Big D!  Drew was all "Why do you want to frame our marriage license?  That's weird, I don't know if I want it displayed."  Yeah, then I framed it and showed it to him and he was all "Oh - well, that IS kind of cool looking."  Don't question me, punk!  I knows what I'm doin!!

Oh also!!  I'm super proud of the other little thing I did.  Our sort-of coffee table (it's too far away to actually use it) needed a little something so I took the vases that we had gotten for the housewarming party and filled them with the glass bead thingies that we'd gotten for the flowers and filled them with candles.  I got them at West Elm and got a scented one for the center to take away the ridiculous dog smell in the house.  Now if I could only get a candle to take away the ridiculous dog.

Another before picture for reference with our one sad little Halloween decoration attempt. 

So pitiful.

So much better!  Now I just need to find a pretty box for all those remotes!  And I probably should have moved them before I took the picture - I am such an amateur.

I got some other stuff that should be coming any day now - I broke down and ordered a couple of things online but see!  I'm having issues with one of the companies and I have to call them today to find out what the flippin deal is.  They better send me my stuff!  Punks!  I'm decorating and I don't take too kindly to people getting in my way!  I order the stuff, you send it, I decorate.  Having it any other way does not please me.

It's all good though - I have my picture wall!!  I need to celebrate - I wish I had some wine...

Speaking my truth

I have spent most of the afternoon reading Penelope Trunk's blog.  So much of what she writes really resonates with me and I found myself clicking through to so many of her articles.  She's a work/career blogger but she writes about her marriage, divorce, abortion, miscarriage and how all of that relates to being a woman in the workforce.  It's truly fascinating and definitely worth a visit.

It got me thinking about where I am in the work/career/family/life continuum and I faced some truths about myself in this place that are unsettling sometimes, eye-opening in others.

Of course, I'm thinking non-stop about children and babies.  I really want to have children but only if I can keep the life I currently have.  I can't say that I'd be willing to go back to living in an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment, struggling to make rent if it meant that I could have kids.  I've lived like that and it's not fun and I'm not anxious to go back - furthermore, it's not fair to the child.  We have children for what we can offer them, not for what we expect them to give to us.  That's an unfair burden and I wouldn't choose that for them.  I know it's not as black and white as all that, and thank God for that!  It's just that I can't miss what I've never had.  Now, if I already had kids and I had to go back to living like that so I could keep them, that would be a different story.  But to bring them into a situation like that, I just couldn't in good conscience do that.

Realizing that then made me question whether or not my unwillingness to sacrifice like that meant that I didn't really want to have kids.  I really thought on it and for me, it doesn't.  I totally want children and I try not to think about a life without that potential because it breaks my heart.  But it's hard to measure what would break my heart more - never having them, or having them and looking into their eyes knowing that you don't have any money to put food in their little bellies.  I pray I don't have to experience either sensation.

Then I got to thinking about work and careers and how the workplace is so much different for women.  It's not new information to any working woman but having the babies puts a wrench in the climbing-the-corporate-ladder thing.  Drew would loooove it if I got a better job - let me say, a higher-paying job.  We get along financially, but if I made even $20,000 more a year things would be great.  Or so he thinks.  I just wonder if he's really thought of the implications that brings.  So what if I make more money?  For me, it's not as important to be as being present for my children.  I'm not okay with working some high-powered job and arriving home only to be able to kiss my kids on the forehead at ten o'clock at night and getting their school updates from the nanny.  That's not what I had in mind when I thought of becoming a mother.

Drew wanting me to get a better job is also not new information.  He has wanted me to do more professionally pretty much since we met.  Frankly, I think he wants me to be more like him.  I have tried as many ways as I know how to convey to him that that will probably never happen.  I don't think like he does, a career is not as important to me and that's not likely to change.  I would love to be on fire for something, have a job that is a passion to me, something where I'm just itching to blaze new trails and create new opportunities.  I haven't found it and I'm not that pressed about looking for it.  

For me, my life is more important than my paycheck and it always has been.  When I've had little, I learned to live on a little.  When I had more, I did more.  But I never needed to.  I never wished I was anywhere other than where I was, professionally speaking.  Sure, it would be nice to have a fatter paycheck, but I'm no fool - a bigger paycheck comes at a much higher personal price.  How many times have we heard that you can have it all, just not all at the same time?  That biological clock doesn't care in the slightest that now's not a good time for you.  Like Penelope says, your career will outlast your ovaries.

There are plenty of things I like doing, and plenty of jobs I could see myself having.  But none of them compel me.  I want to be on fire for something, I want to want something so badly that I can't help but go after it till I get it.  It's definitely scary to want things and to put yourself out there for rejection and failure but I want to want this thing, whatever it is so badly that not even that fear will stop me.  Right now, the only thing that fits that feeling is kids.  That's all I want that badly.  There are zero jobs that I know of that fit that bill for me.  Maybe there's something out there that I haven't heard of or don't know about but as they say, you don't know what you don't know.

When she was talking about her divorce, the mediator said that so many couples could avoid divorce if they just talked.  Drew and I talk, and I think we do pretty well but he takes things personally an awful lot and that often shuts down the most meaningful conversations.  He's also really smart and logical and can reason his way out of anything, especially if he's done something wrong.  He's a champion for saying "Well, I wouldn't have done X if you hadn't done Y, and actually it's BECAUSE you did Y that I HAD to do X therefore it's not really my fault and you should actually apologize to me."  It's. Infuriating.  When all I want in the world is "I was wrong and I'm sorry. Please forgive me,"  instead I get all the reasons why it's actually me with the problem.  It's almost like he thinks that apologizing makes him less of a man somehow and that is absolutely not an option so he has to figure out how to get out of it.  I wish he didn't see it that way.

How did I get on this?  Oh yeah, I'm speaking my truth.  Anyway, that blog just stirred up a lot of deep thoughts in me.  Kids, job, relationship - when it comes down to it, nothing else really matters.

The Jolly Trolley

Saturday we went to a birthday party for our friend and neighbor David.  His partner Nic arranged everything for the party and it was so much fun.  It was my first social outing since The Great Shitty Event and I was kind of nervous.  I've done really well at keeping it together - Halloween wasn't easy but I sat out there handing out candy with one hand, a cocktail in the other.  It was the only way I got through the night - the little babies in their adorable costumes just about did me in.  All the princesses and fairies didn't help either.  To add insult to injury, apparently our neighborhood is the 'it' neighborhood for trick or treating and kids were everywhere!  It was almost like an assembly line at times and we ran out of candy in less than two hours.  That was fine with me, because I just couldn't handle any more cute babies trick or treating with their moms in matching costumes.

Fast forward to Saturday:  this was an adult party, no kids anywhere so at least there was that.  Nic had gotten us t-shirts for the party which was so cute. 

That's a whole lotta whitefolk.  Can you find mine in there? ;-)

The trolley went back and forth through Uptown and basically it was an open party bus.  I hit it off with several of the girls and there was a moment where one of the girls was carrying on about how great it was getting out of the house because she had a seven-month-old baby.  Her friend chimed in about how cute her baby was, blah blah blah.  I couldn't really hear them because I was suddenly verrry interested in what was in the bottom of my glass.  Turns out there actually was a bottom underneath all that vodka-pink lemonade!  I didn't like that and immediately refilled my cup so I wouldn't have to see it again.  The pesky thing kept showing up all night though and I just kept refilling my cup!

Anyway, I was able to sidestep that moment and it all turned out okay.  We had a great time, only a couple of people on the trolley knew about the Event and it was kind of nice to pretend I was carefree and normal. 

My hair looks kind of stringy here because I left the house with wet hair.  As the night wore on, my hair ended up looking FABULOUS!!  I'm loving my new conditioner!

Nic and David.  They live a block up the street from us and are the sweetest guys you'll ever meet!

After the trolley ride, we all went to a bar around the corner from our house (thank God we didn't have far to drive!) and finished up the party.  Given that we got started at 4pm, leaving around 9pm was a strong showing for us.  At least that's what I told myself as I passed out Saturday night at 9:30. 

I'm not old, I'm not old, I'm not old.......